New laws: Beer to tongue studs

Dead of summer may mean relaxed rules for everyone else, but it's also when government springs batches of fresh laws on a mostly unsuspecting public. Here's the skinny on Minnesota's newest dos and don'ts.

STRONG BEER? YA, SURE

The wholesome, all-the-milk-you-can-drink nature of the Great Minnesota Get-Together may be forever altered when the fair makes strong beer available for the first time this year. One proviso: At least one of the brews offered has to be Minnesota-made. Grain Belt, anyone?

SHRINK-PROOF GIFT CARDS

Tired of carrying around that Barnes & Noble gift card, then finding out it's lost a third of its value when you finally get around to picking out your books? No more. As of today, cards cannot have an expiration date and cannot levy inactivity fees to shrink the stated gift amount. Exceptions? Prepaid calling cards, promotional cards and cards sold below face value.

DON'T WAKE THE DEAD

Don't mess with their headstones, either. A new law makes it a felony to intentionally mutilate, injure or destroy gravesites or remove human remains.

CHEAPER BIRTH CONTROL

Family planning clinics will be able to buy contraceptives through cooperative purchasing agreements that would lower their costs. Clinic nurses also would be able to dispense birth control pills to girls as young as 12.

NO CONSENT, NO TONGUE-STUD

If you're under 18 and want to flaunt a sparkly navel-ring at the beach this summer or pierce your eyebrows, you'll not only have to get mom or dad's permission, you'll have to take them with you. Body piercers must watch a parent or legal guardian sign a consent notice for anything other than earlobe piercing or risk a misdemeanor. Josh Noble-Olson, head piercer at St. Paul's Fluid Ink, said the law won't affect his business. "That's been our shop policy for as long as I've been here, even for earlobes," he said. "We even require matching IDs. Some people get kind of angry about that, having to prove they're the parent, but that's our policy."

MORTGAGE PROTECTION

New laws crack down on mortgage fraud, barring prepayment penalties for most borrowers, stiffening penalties for mortgage fraud and prohibiting lenders from refinancing certain mortgages unless borrowers have received qualified mortgage counseling. So-called negative amortization loans, in which the principal increases over time rather than decreasing, become illegal.

HEARING AIDS GUARANTEED

Insurance companies are now required to cover the cost of hearing aids for children who suffer hearing loss. Previously, health plans were mandated to cover hearing aid costs for congenital conditions only. Self-insured plans, which include those offered by most larger companies, are exempt.

CASH FOR RE-UPPING

Minnesota National Guard officers will be eligible for state-funded reenlistment bonuses, while all enlistees will qualify for postsecondary grants of up to $1,000 apiece. Guard, reserve or active military members and some family members will be eligible for bonuses of up to $2,000 through the state's Support Our Troops license plate program.

OUT OF SUDAN

Minnesota joins the "Divest for Darfur" movement, becoming another in a string of states, including New York and California, that will divest their holdings in companies that are perceived to be contributing to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

Patricia Lopez • 651-222-1288 • plopez@startribune.com